---
title: Cloud Quickstart
sidebarTitle: Cloud Quickstart
description: Send your first event to Trench Cloud
---

import TrenchScript from '/snippets/trench-script.mdx';


In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of sending your first event and reading it back using the Trench Cloud API.
The example uses the [Trench JavaScript client](https://www.npmjs.com/package/trench-js), but the same can be achieved by calling the [Events API](https://docs.trench.dev/api-reference/events-create) directly.

## Getting Started

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign up for Trench Cloud">
    To get started with Trench Cloud, you need to sign up at [app.trench.dev](https://app.trench.dev?utm_campaign=cloud-quickstart). Then, locate the necessary credentials in the `API Keys` tab.
    <Frame caption="The Trench cloud dashboard">
      <img src="/images/trench-dashboard-dark.png" className="pointer-events-none" />
    </Frame>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Install Trench JavaScript Client">
    Next, install the Trench JavaScript client using your favorite package manager:

    ```bash
    npm install trench-js
    ```

    Alternatively, you can use the hosted version via the script tag below and skip the **Initialize the Client** step:

    <TrenchScript />

  </Step>

  <Step title="Initialize the Client">
    After installing the client, you need to initialize it with your API key. Replace `YOUR_API_KEY` and `YOUR_SERVER_URL` with the actual API key and server URL you received:

    ```javascript
    import Trench from 'trench-js'

    const trench = new Trench({
      publicApiKey: 'YOUR_PUBLIC_API_KEY',
      serverUrl: 'YOUR_SERVER_URL'
    });
    ```
    Optionally, you can identify a user with the `identify` method:

    ```javascript
    trench.identify('user-id', {
      email: 'test@example.com',
      // Add any other traits you want to associate with the user
    })
    ```

  </Step>

  <Step title="Send a Sample Event">
    Now you can send a sample event to Trench Cloud. Here is an example of how to send an event:

    ```javascript
    trench.track("Test Event");
    ```

    This will send an event with the name `Test Event`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify the Event">
    You can verify that the event was received by opening the `Events` tab in the Trench Cloud dashboard.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Going Further

Now that you've sent your first event, you can learn more about the many things you can do with Trench.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Get Events API →" href="/api-reference/events-get" horizontal={true}></Card>
  <Card title="Create Events API →" href="/api-reference/events-create" horizontal={true}></Card>
  <Card title="Webhooks API →" href="/api-reference/webhooks-create" horizontal={true}></Card>
  <Card title="Query API →" href="/api-reference/queries-execute" horizontal={true}></Card>
</CardGroup>


